ASUS W1000N

The W1 is a multimedia notebook with style to spare. Its well-constructed design includes a fingerprint-resistant brushed metal alloy finish on the latchless lid itself (with squeak-free "hidden" screen hinge) and around the keyboard. The palm rest is spacious and there's no gap between it and the glidepad, which reduces dust build-up.

Recessed shortcut buttons are located to the right of the keyboard, speakers along the top and a subwoofer is located underneath the machine to deliver high quality audio. Sound outputs include S/PDIF audio and 3D-out, which provides a faux-4.1 surround sound effect.

The W1's 16:10 wide-aspect display has a maximum resolution of 1680 x 1050. It's bright and quite viewable at angles. The 64MB DDR ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 graphics controller drivers make outputting the display to a TV (via the S-Video output) or external monitor straightforward.

The W1 also features a built-in analog TV tuner and antenna connection. The supplied remote control and ASUS Mobile Theatre software combine to deliver a lounge-room-like experience. You can take snapshots of all channels in a station wall, record and save TV programs, as there's even timeshifting functions. You also receive two full-version games: Gun Metal and Battle Engine Aquila, in addition to a game demo CD.

Overall performance of the W1 is pretty much on par with its competition, but its design and value-added features make it stand out from the pack. It has a two-year return-to-base warranty.